NBI raids Bantag houses

MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) operatives yesterday raided two houses in Laguna and Caloocan City to serve arrest warrants to former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, but failed to find the fugitive.

Bantag had been tagged as the mastermind in the killing of broadcaster Percival Mabasa or Percy Lapid and prisoner Cristito Villamor in 2022.

It was Villamor who reportedly passed on the kill order to the gunman who shot dead Mabasa. He was later found dead in his cell at the New Bilibid Prison, reportedly of plastic bag suffocation.

Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 and Las Piñas RTC Branch 254 issued warrants of arrest for Bantag and former BuCor officer Ricardo Zulueta for two counts of murder.

Zulueta, however, died on March 15 due to cerebrovascular disease intracranial hemorrhage, as shown in his death certificate.

In the Santa Rosa, Laguna raid, authorities had to use a sledgehammer to gain entry.

No one was found in the premises but the NBI said its men found nine bullets.

Bantag was also nowhere to be found in his alleged safehouse in Caloocan, but operatives recovered firearms and personal effects believed to be his.

The Department of Justice earlier announced a cash reward of P2 million for any information on Bantag’s whereabouts.